When Swiss watchmaking executives convened at a Geneva trade show in January, they feared the worst. Smartwatch competitors Apple Inc. and Google would be in full swing while waning Chinese tourism to Europe and Hong Kong was creating a sense of urgency. “We expect 2016 to be a very, very difficult year,” Vincent Perriard, chief executive officer of luxury watchmaker HYT, said at the time .

Those fears are coming true. Exports of Swiss watches have fallen for 11 months straight, as Bloomberg Gadfly noted last week, and the industry is in a state of distress. Cie. Financière Richemont SA, parent company of Cartier, already moved to cut 350 jobs in February and expects no reprieve over the next few months. Swatch Group AG, maker of pricey brands such as Omega, along with cheaper plastic watches sold under its eponymous label, hasn’t yet cut jobs, even though results couldn’t get much worse. The company recently warned that first half profit would plummet more than 50 percent.

However Blackout Concept Geneve is one of the companies who knew how to rise above the tension and nervousness.

The luxury customising giant , that has been working with brands like Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Patek Phillip for years has also created the “Value Pieces” range consisting of new watch models that embody the highest standards in quality yet are available at attractive prices. These watches were created in order to make similar designs of his customised watches accessible to a wider public that have been passionate for years about his brand but could not afford an expensive customised watch.

Meanwhile, Switzerland’s higher-end crew led their own renaissance in which mechanical watches become prestige items, not time-checking essentials. Watches from Rolex SA, Patek Philippe & Co., and Breitling SA became the coveted luxury items we know today, and the industry was reborn.

“The significance of the watch as a means of keeping the time became increasingly negligible,” wrote a team of economists at Credit Suisse Group looking back at this revival in 2013. “The Swiss watch industry succeeded in identifying this paradigm shift from an early stage and found new selling points that are aimed more at the symbolic and emotional aspects of the product.”

The latest turmoil, much like the threat from Japanese watches in the 1970s, comes from a potent combination of smartwatches and younger consumers with changing tastes. Global shipments of smartwatches surpassed those of Swiss wristwatches in February, according to data from market research firm Strategy Analytics Inc.

Aside from TAG Heuer SA, which released a $1,500 smartwatch last year, Swiss companies have been slow to respond this shift. Only 25 percent of watch executives consider smartwatches a competitive threat, according to a survey last year by Deloitte. There’s been no major effort so far to design a way out of the current crisis.

In May, Richemont CEO Richard Lepeu said Swiss watchmakers “should never be arrogant” and rule anything out. “Technology’s progressing very fast, and we never know what might happen.” For now, however, Lepeu and his counterparts seem confident that they can ride out currency and commodity fluctuations while waiting for the return of spending tourists.

Luxury watch brands such as Rolex and Patek Philippe are beautiful. But they’re even more beautiful in black. The look is sophisticated- even a bit mysterious. And A-list celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Anniston are enthralled with the look of their new timepieces.

Master Swiss watchmaker Fabrice Letellier has also created the “Value Pieces” range consisting of new watch models that embody the highest standards in quality yet are available at attractive prices. These watches were created in order to make similar designs of his customised watches accessible to a wider public that have been passionate for years about his brand but could not afford an expensive customised watch.

His new models are made with sapphire glass, quartz movements, and are waterproof to 100 meters. Each piece is Swiss made- essential to the brand- and incorporates the finest materials including ceramic and carbon, while continuing to use polycarbonate for its lightness and low cost.

Adhering to an individual mindset, all models can be customised by their NATO bracelet with interchangeable colours and different materials easily adaptable on all watches. The Swiss-made marker GENEVA appears on all the dials, which is quite unique and rare, certifying that each watch is an authentic and coveted Swiss timepiece

The range includes about 20 models to choose from with models for both men and women. Each finish is created to the discerning tastes of the individual wearer, from the most brilliant black hue to the subtle look of a deep matte black. At Black-Out, “the only limit is your imagination.”